Right Wing Nation

I can’t find confirmation of this. Malkin (Michelle, not Evgeni) says it was leaked to her, and that may very well be true and the results haven’t yet been published. Recall that the Susquehanna poll yesterday had Lt. Col. Bill Russell only four points behind Murtha, after him calling his own constituents racists and all? Imagine them being offended by that.

There’s supposed to be a Dane and Associates poll today that has Russell 13 points ahead of Murtha, specifically, 48-35.

This man was a write-in candidate because he was on active duty until August 1. I’ve been following the campaign closely, since 1) I hate Murtha more than any other elected politician, and 2) Bill’s running in the 5th district, right next to this one.

If you’re so inclined, you can donate here.

Hooah!

Not election related, but a huge bag of M&Ms, thanks to Hot Air:

The Supreme Court rejected the latest appeal from Mumia Abu-Jamal today, declining to reverse his conviction. His death sentence was overturned in March, forcing Pennsylvania to either retry his sentencing in front of a new jury or accept a life sentence instead.

Fry, baby, fry!

Now, that is the John McCain I know!

I don’t need lessons about telling the truth to American people. And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn’t seek advice from a Chicago politician.

Zing! Oh, but there’s more. The gloves are off.

Senator Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed. But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.

Here’s the link, for those with selective memories.

Wait. You thought that was all?

Senator Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, “a good idea.” Well, Senator Obama, that “good idea” has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

To hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem. The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign. He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them. [That would be Christopher Dodd, by the way.] Did he ever talk to the executives at Fannie and Freddie about these reckless loans? Did he ever discuss with them the stronger oversight I proposed? If Senator Obama is such a champion of financial regulation, why didn’t he support these regulations that could have prevented this crisis in the first place? He won’t tell you, but you deserve an answer.

Zing!

My opponent has invited serious questioning by announcing a few weeks ago that he would quote — “take off the gloves.” Since then, whenever I have questioned his policies or his record, he has called me a liar.

Rather than answer his critics, Senator Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers the serious and legitimate questions he has been asked. But let me reply in the plainest terms I know. I don’t need lessons about telling the truth to American people. And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn’t seek advice from a Chicago politician.

Sorry. I just had to run that one again.

My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults.

More at Hot Air. Characteristically (I’m sorry to say), the full release is not posted on the campaign site yet, but I’ll give you the link when it is.

Moe sez:

PS: Oh, Sarah?

Lock and load.

Heh.

And finally, the MSM is covering it. Well, Ayers, that is.

Don “The Bowie Knife” Surber, on the top of my list along with Jules Crittenden as a blogger I’d like to meet some day:

Republican Sarah Palin draws 60,000.
Democrat Barack Obama draws 13,000.

Gallup reports in their 9/1-7 poll that Obama is ahead only among 18-29 year olds. Reliapundit snarks:

Awesome.

Only quasi-adolescents can believe in Obama at this point.

Funny, but more to the point, as we near the election, Obama is relying more and more on the support of votes that have never materialized. And McCain’s strongest support is among voters 65 and older — the demographic that votes in the highest numbers.

Okay, it’s Zogby, so that makes it diabetic candy, but hey, enjoy! First, Florida:

Barack Obama could be on the verge of falling out of contention in Florida.

Despite spending an estimated $8-million on campaign ads in America’s biggest battleground state and putting in place the largest Democratic campaign organization ever in Florida, Obama has lost ground over the summer. Florida has moved from a toss-up state to one that clearly leans toward John McCain, fueling speculation about how much longer the Democratic nominee will continue investing so heavily in the state.

Obama can still win Florida despite the polling gains McCain has made since naming Sarah Palin his running mate, and there is no sign Obama is pulling back in Florida yet. Far from it. Obama allies say he has about 350 paid staffers in the state and about 50 field offices, including in places not known as fertile ground for Democrats, such as Sun City Center, Lake City and Sebring.

But for all the attention to Florida from the Obama campaign, there’s little tangible evidence it’s paying off.

He is farther behind in the state than John Kerry was at this point in 2004, even though McCain began buying Florida TV ads only last week.

Then Pennsylvania (click on the state):

McCain - 49.1%
Obama - 44.3%
Not Sure/Other - 6.6%

“This is a classic case of polling as a snapshot in time. We’re turning Pennsylvania purple today, as McCain takes a small edge. But as in Ohio, we are watching this closely and things could change in this classically blue state.”

Course, there’s no telling how many boxes of “ballots” they can “find” in closets in Philadelphia, like Gary or Seattle.

Think so?

This whole Obama thing has *got* to be a put-on by the DNC. Any minute Allen Funt will pop out and they’ll announce the real ticket is Hillary Clinton and Phil Bredesen (or Mark Warner) or something, right?

Pretty good, but so is this one:

I think they spent months trying to figure out how they can position Obama as better qualified than McCain, and basically came up with the fact that Obama can type.

But John Hinderaker says (seriously):

I guess now we’ll find out whether Barack Obama is capable of shame.

He’s far too impressed with himself. That’s what the whole campaign is about, you know. His insufferable ego. Why do you think he’s encouraged this cult worship?

Speaking of (cults) and speaking of (Glenn Reynolds), just when you thought the liberals couldn’t come any more unglued, they do! And this mouthbreather is way beyond just unglued. It’s a big psychotic group hug, and more hardcore feminists are getting pretty annoyed.

Speaking of, the Atlantic takes on the press:

In the voting booth on November 4, it’s likely that most members of the media will pull the lever for Barack Obama. Whether or not they put aside their professional standards and actively try to get him elected is another matter. But because conspiracy theories are fun (see VF.com’s Trig Palin parentage timeline ), let’s assume for a moment that they do. Is there any way they could effectively accomplish it? Let’s review what they’ve tried so far:

1. Fawning coverage of Obama (the candidate with a halo-like glow around him on the covers of Newsweek, Time, and Rolling Stone; Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews gushing so embarrassingly that they had to be removed from MSNBC’s anchor desk)

2. Digging dirt on Obama’s opponents (The Times’s innuendo-laced piece about McCain’s ties to lobbyist Vicki Iseman; the poorly fact-checked stories about Palin’s supposed book-banning and secessionist proclivities)

3. Tough but fair investigations into McCain and Palin’s various lies, bad decisions, and questionable policies

Those are pretty much the only weapons in the media’s arsenal, and so far none of them have really worked.

Think it could have something to do with this?

And from the AP, no less.

Eighty percent say McCain, with nearly three decades in Congress, has the right experience to be president. Just 46 percent say Obama, now in his fourth year in the Senate, is experienced enough. Another 47 percent say Obama lacks the proper experience—an even worse reading than the 36 percent who had the same criticism about Palin, now in her second year as governor after serving as a small-town mayor in her state.

It’s like Halloween!

The Times. ‘She’s one of us’: Palin wins over Obama women:

If Mr Obama should be in any doubt how gravely the vice-presidential nomination of the Governor of Alaska has imperilled his White House ambitions, then a day spent in Macomb County will make this clear: white women who voted for John Kerry in 2004 are suddenly deserting the Democratic Party.

This is Mount Clemens, in the heart of Macomb County, where the pollster Stan Greenberg first identified the phenomenon of the Reagan Democrats – the working-class, socially conservative, traditionally Democratic whites who deserted the party for Ronald Reagan in 1980. It is fair to say that this critical swing group now has a new name: Palin Democrats.

Mounds Bars!

McCain up three points in one day.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows John McCain up by three points, his largest lead since Obama wrapped up the Democratic Presidential Nomination. For most of the past several months, Obama has held a modest lead with McCain slipping ahead by a single point on just three of the past hundred days.

McCain now attracts 48% of the vote while Obama earns 45%. When “leaners” are included, it’s McCain 49%, Obama 46%. Yesterday, the candidates were tied . . .

Obama has the edge among voters under 40 while McCain leads among older voters.

Guess who votes and who doesn’t. And here’s more (from the Premium page).

44% say McCain likely to continue Bush policies, down from 53%
52% say Obama likely to offer liberal, big government solutions
Likely to Reach Across the Aisle When President…..McCain 63% Obama 51%

And more. When asked whether offshore drilling should be allowed, 69% of likely voters said yes, and only 19% said no. Rasmussen is supposed to release a presidential tracking poll for Missouri later today.

Gallup:

A potential shift in fortunes for the Republicans in Congress is seen in the latest USA Today/Gallup survey, with the Democrats now leading the Republicans by just 3 percentage points, 48% to 45%, in voters’ “generic ballot” preferences for Congress. This is down from consistent double-digit Democratic leads seen on this measure over the past year. [Note that this is among registered voters.]

And just cause it’s so pretty.

How about another Almond Joy?

Republicans, who are now much more enthused about the 2008 election than they were prior to the convention, show heightened interest in voting, and thus outscore Democrats in apparent likelihood to vote in November. As a result, Republican candidates now lead Democratic candidates among likely voters by 5 percentage points, 50% to 45%.

More at the link. You know, at this rate, I’m going to have to create a Candy! category.

CNN essentially chopped up Rove’s editorial in the WSJ then printed it, and any idiot should be able to see that Rove is completely right.

“If Mr. Obama keeps attacking Mrs. Palin, he could suffer the fate of his Democratic predecessors. These assaults highlight his own tissue-thin résumé, waste precious time better spent reassuring voters he is up for the job, and diminish him — not her,” Rove writes.

Specifically, Rove says it is not in Obama’s interest to attack the Alaska governor on her lack of experience or the earmarks she has requested — two issues, Rove says, on which voters may also question Obama’s record.

And that’s already happening, but the candy is in the comments from the intelligentsia who know so much more and whose critical thinking is so much more nuanced than ours.

“Who gives a rat’s butt what KarlRove thinks? He is one of the most unethical, lying men ever to be in politics.”

“I’m sure that McCain adviser Karl Rove has no reason to lie to Obama.”

“CNN, this is the stupidest article you’ve ever posted. Karl Rove should be under the jail, along with Dick Cheney and Bush. Don’t both sincere Americans who actually care about the country with this trash. Otherwise, you’re a bigger pig than he is.”

“When did he attack her? Rove needs to STFU because he is at his old tricks again.”

“This Pillsbury Doughboy make me sick. I hope the rest of his life is miserable. Can someone take a poll on how much America hates Karl. His mother must have been a pig to lay down with the devil.”

“If he fell on a knife, it would be a good day.”

“Rove is dumb. All he needs is an apple is his mouth…forget the lipstick.”

“Do the opposite of anything he says.”

Make some popcorn and enjoy the show until November!

Oh, those poor things!

Polls showing John McCain tied or even ahead of Barack Obama are stirring angst and second-guessing among some of the Democratic Party’s most experienced operatives, who worry that Obama squandered opportunities over the summer and may still be underestimating his challenges this fall.

“It’s more than an increased anxiety,” said Doug Schoen, who worked as one of Bill Clinton’s lead pollsters during his 1996 reelection and has worked for both Democrats and independents in recent years. “It’s a palpable frustration. Deep-seated unease in the sense that the message has gotten away from them.”

[Waving hand in the air.]

I’d like to ask a question. What message?

“On the one hand, it could be a temporary reshuffling of the deck,” he added. “And on the other hand, it underscores the deep-seated problems we have in this race with race, class and culture.

Knock, knock, bozo. These aren’t problems you’ve had in this race. These are problems you’ve had since 1968. The Clintons understand — you should have paid more attention. Does this ring a bell?

I might add that in small towns, we don’t quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening.

We tend to prefer candidates who don’t talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.

And speaking of, we have this British idiot in the Guardian:

If Americans choose McCain, they will be turning their back on the rest of the world, choosing to show us four more years of the Bush-Cheney finger.

On three, everybody.

One.

Two.

Three.

Awwwwwww!

I wonder about the intelligence of anyone who thinks we want foreigners — particularly Brits — to tell us what to do. Did getting their butts thrown out of America not teach them anything at all? Did they not take history in school? Do they think the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were just temporary setbacks? Rachel has a characteristically snappy response, but one of her commenters sent this Brit loon a reply.

But for the time being, it might baffle you, but we Americans are still going to elect a leader that we think is going to act in the best interests of America. That doesn’t mean participating in some global popularity contest. While some people think it may be sort of nice for America to be liked by European bureaucrats and effete poncy patronizing Pommy columnists, the rest of us don’t really care whether you like us or not, and we’re not about to elect a transnational socialist in order to gain your admiration. In fact, those of us Americans who still value individualism and freedom wear the derision of your type as feathers in our caps. You don’t have to wait until November for the American finger — you can have it right now if you want.

No, that’s not all of it. You’ll want to read the whole thing. I’m sure the Brit had to call for his salts.

Atlantic:

The huge crowds Gov. Sarah Palin attracts are one thing, but enthusiasm about the Alaska governor has produced an outpouring of volunteers for the GOP’s get-out-the-vote program.

According to a Republican official, countywide, seven to ten times as many new volunteers are signing to help as compared to the same days a month ago.

The day McCain announced the pick, and the Wednesday and Thursday of the convention, the numbers were through the roof, dwarfing the number of new volunteer sign-ups during that same period in 2004.

That’s more people that GOP field planners assumed they’d have, so in some areas, they’re scrambling to figure out what to do with them all.

Where did all the Obamamania go?

Anecdotal, but still. WaPo: Palin Energizing Women From All Walks of Life.

And Charles Austin makes an acute observation:

So let me get this straight, Senator Obama is too smart to call Sarah Palin a pig but not smart enough to realize how bad this comment is going to sound to anyone not basking in the glow of his halo.

That’s about it. No matter what he intended, it was an incredibly stupid thing to say, and in politics, perception is everything and intent, not so much. Look for more of these highly entertaining slips in the future. The One is scared, and his composure is going to hell. He’s just starting to realize that he’s not running against Alan Keyes.

MSNBC:

One significant shift in the poll is among women. Back in August, Obama was leading McCain by 14 points. Now his lead is just four points.

And just a month ago, McCain trailed Obama by 20 points among women ages 18 to 49. Now the Arizona Republican leads by three points.

For the innumerate (is that a word?), that’s a 23 point shift to McCain.

Huge: 20-point shift towards McCain among white women since last month in new ABC poll

This is from Rasmussen’s latest poll results. This is like posting something from the WSJ (at least before they dropped the subscriber firewall). I’m a Rasmussen subscriber and I’m not sure what’s behind the firewall and what isn’t. So if this link doesn’t work for you, this one will (though it won’t have all of the information — that’s the point of subscribing). Like yesterday’s Gallup poll, Rasmussen has McCain ahead of Obama (51-44), but the results from the battleground states (Colorado, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia) are particularly interesting. (Insert standard disclaimer about polls here — and do I have to keep doing this? You people know by now, right?) For each state MOE: ±4.5, 95% CI, N=500 LV.

A collective look at all five states confirms the overall sense that the race for the White House is very competitive and that these five states will be considered key battlegrounds. Four of the five state polls show the candidates within 3 points of each other. The sole exception—Ohio—shows McCain with a 51% to 44% advantage and also remains competitive.

[ . . . ]

Ohio—shows McCain with a 51% to 44% advantage and also remains competitive.

[ . . . ]

A number of themes emerge from the data that are consistent across all five states:

· McCain is trusted more than Obama in all five states.

· In all five states, McCain is viewed more favorably than Obama.

· Also, in all five states, Sarah Palin draws higher “Very Favorable” ratings than any other candidate.

· In all states except Colorado, McCain enjoys a bigger margin among Republicans than Obama does among Democrats. In Colorado, they are even.

· Economic issues are the top issue in all five states with national security matters a distant second.

· The number who would not be comfortable with Obama as President is higher in every state than the number saying the same about McCain. This is consistent with national polling data showing that McCain voters are more likely than Obama supporters to be primarily voting against the other candidate.

· Obama has the edge among unaffiliated voters in three states, McCain in two. Nationally, unaffiliated voters are fairly evenly divided.

· Pennsylvania has more undecided voters than any other state—seven percent (7%). Most of these are Democrats or unaffiliated voters.

Obama leads McCain by only two points (47-45) in Pennsylvania. McCain’s approval ratings are 88% favorable among Republicans, which is a significant change from the last time I looked. McCain has solid support from 84% of Republicans; Obama from 65% of Democrats (35% of Democrats said they may change their minds). Among all likely voters for both candidates, 74% are solid support, and 26% soft support. Of likely voters, 58% would be comfortable with Obama as President, and 65% with McCain as President. McCain is more trusted than Obama among likely voters (48-41).

Maybe the Democrats shouldn’t take Pennsylvania for granted.

They’re having serious problems on the other end, apparently. I’ll check it later, but if nothing else, I can watch it afterwards (and the sound is barely audible, so maybe they’ll fix that).

Oh. I almost forgot.

Rasmussen:

Forty-one percent (41%) of voters say that they are certain they will cast their ballot for McCain and will not change their mind before November. Thirty-eight percent (38%) say the same about Obama. Overall, McCain is now viewed favorably by 60% of the nation’s voters while Obama earns positive reviews from 55%.

But that’s not all. That’s not even the best candy. Gallup:

In the new survey, more voters call themselves Republicans. Now 48% say they’re Democrats or lean to the Democratic Party; 47% say they’re Republicans or lean to the GOP.

Not since February 2005, right after Bush’s second inauguration, have Republicans been within a single point of Democrats in party identification.

What’s more, voters by 48%-45% support the Democratic candidate in their congressional district, the party’s narrowest advantage this year.

Are your souls cheered yet?

In other news, hell hath officially frozen over. Two — count them, two — liberal papers ran positive stores on Palin today. Seriously. The NYT ran one on how she balances her family and work. Here’s a sample, because you’re not going to take my word for it (I wouldn’t):

Before her son was born, Ms. Palin went to extraordinary lengths to ensure that his arrival would not compromise her work. She hid the pregnancy. She traveled to Texas a month before her due date to give an important speech, delivering it even though her amniotic fluid was leaking. Three days after giving birth, she returned to work.

But with Trig in her arms, Ms. Palin has risen higher than ever. Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee for president, says he selected her as his running mate because of her image as a reformer, but she is also making motherhood an explicit part of her appeal, running as a self-proclaimed hockey mom. In just a few months, she has gone from hiding her pregnancy from those closest to her to toting her infant on stage at the Republican National Convention.

No one has ever tried to combine presidential politics and motherhood in quite the way Ms. Palin is doing, and it is no simple task. In the last week, the criticism she feared in Alaska has exploded into a national debate. On blogs and at PTA meetings, voters alternately cheer and fault her balancing act, and although many are thrilled to see a child with special needs in the spotlight, some accuse her of exploiting Trig for political gain.

But her son has given Ms. Palin, 44, a powerful message. Other candidates kiss strangers’ babies; Ms. Palin has one of her own. He is tangible proof of Ms. Palin’s anti-abortion convictions, which have rallied social conservatives, and her belief that women can balance family life with ambitious careers. And on Wednesday in St. Paul, she proclaimed herself a guardian of the nation’s disabled children.

Believe it or not, that’s about as negative as the negative gets. Then, the WaPo — not the news, mind, but the editorial page — praised Palin for delivering on the oil pipeline in Alaska.

Ms. Palin’s predecessor as governor, Republican Frank H. Murkowski, attempted to negotiate a deal with the three oil companies that control the North Slope gas, Exxon Mobil, BP and Conoco Phillips. His plan would have awarded the companies a long-term tax freeze in return for relatively weak commitments to actually build the pipeline. But even though Vice President Cheney and Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) lobbied hard for Mr. Murkowski’s approach, Alaska’s public and legislature balked, viewing the proposal as stacked in favor of the Big Three oil companies. Ms. Palin rode criticism of Mr. Murkowski’s deal to victory over him in the 2006 Republican gubernatorial primary and then to the governor’s office later that year. She reversed Mr. Murkowski’s strategy, asking the legislature to pass a law setting criteria for a deal, then throwing the project open to companies other than the Big Three. The result was a commitment by an experienced pipeline company, TransCanada, to build the project, which may take 10 years, in return for $500 million in state seed money derived from Alaska’s recent oil windfall.

I don’t want to ruin the good cheer by being cynical, but being a grumpy old man, I have to wonder if the NYT and WaPo are figuring out that their easily debunked smears were helping to drive Palin’s popularity, and are backing off.

Eh. Maybe. But that would require intelligence, wouldn’t it? And speaking of, we have our daily news of the st00pid, Joe Biden steps in a great, big, steaming cow pie — and right before his new bishop is about to be installed. Remember about a month ago when Pelosi spewed that drivel about the Church’s position on abortion on Meet the Press? Bishop after bishop responded, then the whole conference of bishops, and then, her own bishop has called her in to talk with him about it. You’d think, wouldn’t you, that after all that, Biden, since he’s on the ticket, would tread softly on the Church’s position on abortion, right?

Wrong.

Again, where is the evidence that Obama is intelligent? He picked the biggest motormouth in the Senate, who has next to no actual foreign policy experience other than sitting on committees and making idiotic suggestions like bribing Iran in response to 9/11, and says something incredibly st00pid almost every time he opens his mouth as his VP? What in the name of God was the logic behind that? What was he thinking? And don’t you think he might have at least asked Hillary to be his VP? (Yes, I realize he didn’t want her on the ticket, and she probably would have told him exactly where to go, but I’m thinking about the voters here.) Wouldn’t you have, had you been Obama? Is he trying to really piss off Democrats? Does he want to head up the Idiot Ticket? And don’t you think he’d eventually figure out that demonstrating what a whiny, weak little panty-waist he is won’t get him elected?

Okay, now let me see if that video is streaming now . . .